Hi, my name is Daniel Raes and I am a footwear designer, illustrator and storyteller. I grew up in a small town called Slater, Iowa where I dreamed of designing shoes.

I went to Iowa State University and studied Industrial Design while working at a local Footlocker store. After graduation I moved to Portland for the Summer to compete in the World Sneaker Championship at the PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy.

Upon completion of the competition I received a contract position at KEEN footwear and was eventually hired on full time as a Jr. Technical Designer. Since then I have designed shoes for all of the KEEN categories including: Men's, Women's, Kids, Lifestyle, Trailhead, Waterfront, and Utility. I am now a Designer primarily focusing on the Kid's category.

By day I design shoes for KEEN and by night I dream up stories for children's picture books. I hope to complete a children's book soon.